What is Educational Coaching?

The other day, I was in a bookstore browsing for a new summer read. A boy sheepishly walked over and whispered, “Maybe you don’t remember me…”
I looked at his curly hair and into his eyes.
“Gianni, of course I remember you!” We spent the next 20 minutes discussing his recent achievements and all his new goals.

This is what I love about educational coaching. When you work one-on-one with students, you build connections founded on trust and mutual appreciation, not just unfinished PowerPoints or exam cramming. An educational coach takes the time to find each student’s skills and strengths; over time, the student shares their anxieties, dreams, struggles, and accomplishments. So, when I run into a former student, I am thrilled to see them thriving and defining new goals.

My path into this work was not direct. I started as a Teaching Assistant in Art History at the University of Pennsylvania (in 1995, ahem, aging myself), teaching standalone seminars to undergraduates. From there, I spent five years teaching at Ithaca College and the University of Minnesota, working with a wide range of graduate and undergraduate students. My additional nine years teaching middle and high school helped clarify my most important observation: every student needs something a little different. 

Although an educational coach develops a deep understanding of each student, no coach can be an expert in every field. An elite volleyball coach, for example, must build relationships with specialists like trainers, psychologists, doctors, and nutritionists to provide the best support and care for their team. Educational coaching works the same way. Part of the job is connecting families with the right professionals, including tutors, educational psychologists, occupational therapists, and admissions specialists.

The right educational coach is your first call when faced with a hurdle at school or planning your child’s educational path. Building successful coaching relationships takes more than patience and listening skills; it also requires a broad knowledge of educational best practices and the wide variety of educational experiences available in Cyprus, Europe, and the United States. As such, the best trait of an excellent educational coach is knowing what they don’t know. I’ve built a team of experts in and outside Cyprus to support Ithaki families. The best educational coaches are not afraid to ask for help.

You might be wondering what an actual session looks like. Well, that differs greatly day to day and from student to student. Sometimes I’m carefully encouraging, other times I’m pushing, and other times, I’m making a hot cup of tea, ordering chicken soup, and getting out the tissues (that’s a real story; you can ask Katerina). We use technology, but we also spend a lot of time with books, pens, pencils, pastel-colored highlighters, and lots of index cards. No matter what, we are working with our students to tackle problems that seem overwhelming.

How do I know I’ve made a difference? The notes, emails, and letters. 

I’ll close with words that I keep close to my heart: “my time with you has been transformative… I credit most of my growth as a person who appreciates academia to you. Thank you for bearing with my weaknesses and helping me overcome them.”

On another occasion, a student told their mother, “Ms. Rachel makes me feel like I can.” 

There are no better words to define educational coaching.